Method and system for managing communication sessions between a text-based and a voice-based client

ABSTRACT

A system and method for communicating messages includes receiving, from a first client associated with a calling party, a request for connection with a second client. A called party associated with the second client is notified that the request for connection was received, in response to receiving the request for connection. A connection processing instruction may be received from a third client associated with the called party. In accordance with a particular embodiment of the present invention, the request for connection may be processed in accordance with the connection processing instruction.

TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates in general to network communications and, moreparticularly, to a method and system for managing communication sessionsbetween a text-based client and a voice-based client.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Voice messaging is widely used in the business community to recordmessages from people trying to contact others that are not available.This modality enables people to communicate from any POTS or simple IPphone. Instant messaging (IM) allows people to communicate with otherswhile being on a computer or a hand-held device connected to a network.This gives them the benefit of mobility while being able to stay intouch with others.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides a method and system for managingcommunication sessions between a text-based client and a voice-basedclient, that substantially eliminates or reduces at least some of thedisadvantages and problems associated with previous methods and systems.

In accordance with a particular embodiment of the present invention, amethod for communicating messages includes receiving, from a firstclient associated with a calling party, a request for connection with asecond client. A called party associated with the second client isnotified that the request for connection was received, in response toreceiving the request for connection. A connection processinginstruction may be received from a third client associated with thecalled party. In accordance with a particular embodiment, the requestfor connection may be processed in accordance with the connectionprocessing instruction.

In accordance with another embodiment of the present invention, theconnection processing instruction may include an instruction from thecalled party to transfer the calling party to a voicemail messagingsystem associated with the called party. In an alternative embodiment,the connection processing instruction may include and instruction fromthe called party to establish a communication channel between the firstclient and the third client. The communication channel may include atwo-way voice communication path between the first client and the thirdclient. Alternatively, the communication channel may comprise a hybridvoice/text communication channel in which the called party communicatesusing a text enabled client, and the calling party communicates using avoice-enabled client.

Technical advantages of particular embodiments of the present inventioninclude a system and method for communicating messages in which a calledparty may be notified of an incoming call to a voice-enabled client ofthe called party, using a text-enabled client of the called party.Accordingly, a bridge is provided between traditional phone systems, andthe evolving field of instant messaging (IM).

Another technical advantage of particular embodiments of the presentinvention includes a system and method for communicating messages, inwhich a called party receives a message from, and/or communicates with acalling party in real-time, as opposed to simply receiving a recordedmessage after the calling party leaves a message with a voicemail systemassociated with the called party. Accordingly, non-real-timecommunications are essentially converted to real-time communicationbetween a calling party and a called party.

Yet another technical advantage of particular embodiments of the presentinvention includes a system and method for communicating messages inwhich a called party is given several options for communicating with acalling party. For example, if the called party is not available toconduct a two-way voice communication session using his work phone, thecalled party is given several different options for communicating withthe calling party.

Other technical advantages will be readily apparent to one skilled inthe art from the following figures, descriptions and claims. Moreover,while specific advantages have been enumerated above, variousembodiments may include all, some or none of the enumerated advantages.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

For a more complete understanding of the present invention and itsadvantages, reference is now made to the following description, taken inconjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 illustrates a communication system including a plurality ofendpoints operable to communicate among each other and a multimediaserver, in accordance with a particular embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2 illustrates an alternative embodiment communication system alsohaving a multimedia server, and includes various components of themultimedia server, in accordance with another embodiment of the presentinvention; and

FIG. 3 illustrates a method for communicating messages between avoice-based client and a text-based client, in accordance with yetanother embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

FIG. 1 illustrates a communication system 30 including a plurality ofendpoints 32 a-32 d, each having the ability to establish communicationsessions between each other and/or multimedia server 34, using one ormore of communication networks 36 a-36 c. Such communications may beaccomplished using any audio and/or video means, including signals, dataor messages transmitted through voice devices, text chat, web sessions,facsimile, instant messaging and e-mail. Communication between endpointsand/or multimedia server(s) may also be made using dual tone multiplefrequency (DTMF) signal, speech recognition, instant messaging (IM),short message service (SMS) text messaging or any other suitable method.For purposes of this specification the terms “client”, “phone”,“telephone” and/or “endpoint” may be used interchangeably to refer toany personal computer (PC), telephone, IP Phone, cellular, mobile orwireless phone, and/or any other device that has the ability tocommunicate audio, video, and/or text communications.

The teachings of the present invention provide a system and method formanaging communication sessions between a text-based client and avoice-based client that provide a bridge between a traditional voicemailsystem and the evolving field of Instant Messaging (IM), allowing usersof these systems to exchange information. Particular embodiments utilizepresence detection to locate and/or communicate with a called party thatis not otherwise available at a client (e.g., office telephoneextension) associated with the called party.

For example, and in accordance with a particular embodiment of thepresent invention, a called party may receive a telephone call from acalling party, at the business office telephone of the called party. Ifthe called party is not available to answer the call, a multimediaserver may use presence detection to locate and notify the called partyof the incoming call. In one embodiment, the multimedia server may senda text message to an IM client indicating that the call is beingreceived. The text message may also include information about thecalling party (e.g., the telephone number from which the calling partyplaced the call and/or the name of the person associated with thetelephone number. Upon receipt of the text message, the called party maybe given the option to, among other options: (i) transfer the callingparty to voicemail, (ii) connect the calling party with the calledparty, at a different client (e.g., mobile telephone) to allow for atwo-way voice communication; or (iii) connect the telephone of thecalling party with a text-based client of the called party, to allow ahybrid voice/text communication session in which the multimedia servertranslates voice communications received from the calling party to text,and/or converts text communications received from the called party tovoice.

In the illustrated embodiment, communication network 36 a is a wide areanetwork (WAN) that enables communication between a plurality ofendpoints 32 a-32 d and multimedia servers 34 distributed acrossmultiple cities and geographic regions. Communication network 36 b is apublic switched telephone network (PSTN) and couples endpoint 32 b withcommunication network 36 a through gateway 38. Communication network 36c is a local area network (LAN), which couples endpoints 32 c and 32 dwith communication network 36 a. Accordingly, users of endpoints 32 a-32d can establish communication sessions between and among each networkcomponent coupled for communication with one or more of networks 36 a-36c. Communication links 37 a and 37 b couple communication networks 36 aand 36 b, and communication networks 36 a and 36 c, respectively.

Communication network 36 a includes a plurality of segments 40 and nodes41 that couple endpoint 32 a with multimedia server 34, gateway 38, andcommunication networks 36 b-36 c. Therefore, a user of endpoint 32 a isprovided with access to endpoints 32 b-32 d, and multimedia server 34.Nodes 41 may include any combination of network components, gatekeepers,call managers, routers, hubs, switches, gateways, endpoints, or otherhardware, software, or embedded logic implementing any number ofcommunication protocols that allow for the exchange of packets incommunication system 30.

Although the illustrated embodiment includes three communicationnetworks 36 a-36 c, the term “communication network” should beinterpreted as generally defining any network capable of transmittingaudio and/or video telecommunication signals, data, and/or messages,including signals, data or messages transmitted through text chat,instant messaging and e-mail. Any one of networks 36 a-36 c may beimplemented as a local area network (LAN), wide area network (WAN),global distributed network such as the Internet, an intranet, extranet,or any other form of wireless or wireline communication network.Generally, network 36 a provides for the communication of packets,cells, frames, or other portions of information (generally referred toas packets herein) between endpoints 32 a-32 d. Communication network 36a may include any number and combination of segments 40, nodes 41,endpoints 32 a-32 d, and/or multimedia servers 34.

In a particular embodiment, communication network 36 a employs voicecommunication protocols that allow for the addressing or identificationof endpoints, nodes, and/or servers coupled to communication network 36a. For example, using Internet protocol (IP), each of the componentscoupled together by communication network 36 a in communication system30 may be identified in information directed using IP addresses. In thismanner, network 36 a may support any form and/or combination ofpoint-to-point, multicast, unicast, or other techniques for exchangingmedia packets among components in communication system 30. Any networkcomponents capable of exchanging audio, video, or other data usingframes or packets, are included within the scope of the presentinvention.

Network 36 a may be directly coupled to other IP networks including, butnot limited to, another LAN, or the Internet. Since IP networks share acommon method of transmitting data, telecommunication signals may betransmitted between telephony devices located on different, butinterconnected, IP networks. In addition to being coupled to other IPnetworks, communication network 36 a may also be coupled to non-IPtelecommunication networks through the use of interfaces or components,for example gateway 38. In the illustrated embodiment, communicationnetwork 36 a is coupled with PSTN 36 b through gateway 38. PSTN 36 b mayinclude switching stations, central offices, mobile telephone switchingoffices, pager switching offices, remote terminals, and/or other relatedtelecommunications equipment that are located throughout the world. IPnetworks transmit data (including voice, text and/or video data) byplacing the data in packets and sending each packet individually to theselected destination, along one or more communication paths. Unlike acircuit-switched network (like PSTN 36 b), a dedicated circuit is notrequired for the duration of a call or fax transmission over IPnetworks.

Technology that allows telecommunications to be transmitted over an IPnetwork may comprise Voice over IP (VoIP), or simply Voice over Packet(VoP). In the illustrated embodiment, endpoint 32 d, multimedia server34, and gateway 38 are IP telephony devices. IP telephony devices havethe ability of encapsulating a user's voice (or other input) into IPpackets so that the voice can be transmitted over network 36 a. IPtelephony devices may include telephones, fax machines, computersrunning telephony software, nodes, gateways, or any other devicescapable of performing telephony functions over an IP network.

Technology that enables text-based communications may include technologyassociated with the evolving field of instant messaging. Instantmessaging is essentially real-time, on-line electronic mail. Examples ofsuch software include ICQ™, AOL Instant Messenger™ and Microsoft MSNMessenger™.

Components of communication system 30 may utilize session initiationprotocol (SIP) technology in the transmission of audio, video or otherdata across the system. As a result, users of endpoints 32 may beidentified by components of system 30 according to a uniform referenceidentifier (URI), such as a user's e-mail address, or other suitableidentifier so that a user may be located, monitored and/or contactedthrough presence detection technology. The use of presence detection bycomponents of system 30 enable the components to capture informationabout various communication devices, or endpoints, available to a user,and their status, such as whether a cellular phone is switched on orwhether a user is logged into a personal computer (PC). The versatilityof presence enables it to be used in both IP components, such as IPphone 32 d, and other, non-IP components, such as components of PSTN 36b. For example, gateway 38 may comprise a SIP/PSTN gateway so thatcomponents coupled to PSTN 36 b may utilize features and capabilitiesavailable through SIP technology.

It will be recognized by those of ordinary skill in the art thatendpoints 32 a-32 d, multimedia server 34, and/or gateway 38 may be anycombination of hardware, software, and/or encoded logic that providecommunication services to a user. For example, endpoints 32 a-32 d mayinclude a telephone, a computer running telephony software, a videomonitor, a camera, an IP phone, a cell phone or any other communicationhardware, software, and/or encoded logic that supports the communicationof packets of media (or frames) using communication network 36 a.Endpoints 32 a-32 d may also include unattended or automated systems,gateways, other intermediate components, or other devices that canestablish media sessions. Although FIG. 1 illustrates a particularnumber and configuration of endpoints, servers, segments, nodes, andgateways, communication system 30 contemplates any number or arrangementof such components for communicating media. Furthermore, any or all ofthe components illustrated as part of multimedia server 34 may beseparate from multimedia server 34 and/or distributed locally orremotely from multimedia server 34.

FIG. 2 illustrates a multimedia server 42 in more detail, in accordancewith a particular embodiment of the present invention. Multimedia server42 may include the same components and operate in a similar manner tomultimedia server 34 of FIG. 1, and vice-versa. Multimedia server 42includes an interface port 44 which couples multimedia server 42 with acommunication network 47, using segment 43. Communication network 47 maycomprise one or more networks such as those described with respect tocommunication system 30 of FIG. 1.

In accordance with a particular embodiment of the present invention, aproxy is generated at the multimedia server on behalf of the calledparty. The called party may establish an IM connection with the proxy.The proxy communicates via TTS voice with the calling party, on behalfof the called party. The proxy may also control the call (transfer,conference in a third party, etc.) on behalf of the called party and inresponse to special commands issued to the proxy by the called party viaits IM connection to the proxy.

Processor 46 may use a memory lookup, a database or other memory module,such as memory module 50, in determining how to distribute and/orprocess a call. Processor 46 may be a microprocessor, controller, or anyother suitable computing device or resource. Memory module 50 may be anyform of volatile or non-volatile memory including, without limitation,magnetic media, optical media, random access memory (RAM), read-onlymemory (ROM), removable media, or any other suitable local or remotememory component.

Multimedia server 42 includes a presence server 49 that may be anycombination of hardware, software and/or encoded logic. As furtherdiscussed below, in one embodiment presence server 49 utilizes SIPtechnology to detect and/or monitor the presence of a particular user(e.g., user 48) at an endpoint, (for example, at the user's PC, cellphone, IP phone or other device) and associate a call with a user'spresence. Other non-SIP presence techniques known in the art may be usedin other embodiments. To accomplish such functionality, presence server49 may have access to any relevant information relating to or associatedwith the endpoints the user utilizes or accesses to communicate with themultimedia server.

It will be recognized by those of ordinary skill in the art thatmultimedia server 42 may include any number of processors or memorymodules to accomplish the functionality and features described herein.The processors 46, memory modules 50 and/or presence server 49associated with multimedia server 42 may be centrally located (local)with respect to one another, or distributed throughout communicationnetwork 47.

Furthermore, multimedia server 42 includes a voicemail system 64 thatoperates in conjunction with the telephony devices coupled to network47, to receive and store voicemail messages for users of telephonydevices, as well as for certain remote devices located outside ofnetwork 47. In various embodiments, voicemail system 64 may comprise amultimedia messaging system. Thus, the teachings of the presentinvention are not limited to messaging systems that handle voice only.As will be described below, the integration of telecommunicationservices into network 47 allows voicemail messages to be encrypted andstored in an open file system supported by network 47, for access by anauthorized user for a variety of devices in network 47.

Voicemail system 64 receives messages for users that are unable toreceive an incoming telephone call. Although illustrated as a dedicatednetwork device, the software, firmware and/or hardware used to implementvoicemail system 64 may be incorporated into one or more devices onnetwork 47. Voicemail system software may be embodied in any type ofcomputer-readable medium. The computer or other device on which thevoicemail software is located includes a network interface, a memory orother computer-readable medium to store the software, and a processor toexecute the software.

If a calling party (e.g., calling party 60) is unable to reach a user ofa telephony device in network 47 (e.g., user 48), a call manager (or anyother appropriate device) transfers the call to multimedia server 42and/or voicemail system 64. Voicemail system 64 indicates to the callerthat the user is not available to communicate with the caller andinvites the caller to leave a voicemail message for the user. Afterreceiving a message for the user, voicemail system 64 stores the messagein a file system (e.g., as a “.wav” file). Such file systems may includea media storage device, such as a hard drive, diskette, CD-R, CD-RW,DVD-RAM, or any other modifiable storage device.

One advantage of a VoIP telecommunication system is that voicemailmessages can be stored in “open” locations, such as the file systemdescribed above, that are accessible from devices in network 47, as wellas devices coupled to network 47. A user may access a message stored ina file system from numerous devices in communication network 47including, but not limited to, a telephony device or computer coupled tonetwork 47. Therefore, there is much more interconnectivity between thelocation at which voicemail messages are stored and the potentiallocations from which a user may wish to access the messages.

In accordance with the teachings of the present invention, a callinitiated by calling party 60 using a cell phone 62, intended for theoffice telephone 51 a of called party 48, may be directed to multimediaserver 42 if called party 48 is not available to receive the call usinghis office telephone 51 a. The call may be directed to multimedia server42 after a predetermined number of rings without an answer, or thecalled party may have previously configured his office telephone 51 a toforward all calls to multimedia server 42, or the call may be forwardedto multimedia server 42 if the handset of phone 51 a is offhook. Itshould be recognized by those of ordinary skill in the art that“transferring a call” to multimedia server 42 may include transferringcontrol of the call or signaling associated with the call, or it mayinclude establishing a communication channel or path between the callingparty and multimedia server 42.

As described below, control of the call and/or signaling associated withthe call may be transferred to multimedia server 42 to allow the calledparty several options for handling the call. In accordance withparticular embodiments, multimedia server 42 may use presence detectionto “locate” called party 48. In one embodiment, multimedia server 42 maybe configured to detect the “presence” of called party 48 for example,if called party 48 is presently logged onto his home computer, using hiscell phone, sending or receiving messages from an Instant Messagingclient, or using a personal digital assistant (PDA) with which presenceserver 49 has the ability to detect and/or communicate with. It will berecognized by those of ordinary skill in the art that endpoints 51 a, 51b, and 62 may be any type of endpoint described within thisspecification, and that any particular user (e.g., user 48 and/or user60) may have one or more endpoints with which they are associated and/oruse.

In the illustrated embodiment, user 60 has access to, and is associatedwith, endpoints 51 a and 51 b. Endpoint 51 a is an office phone, andendpoint 51 b may be one or more of a home phone, PC, cell phone, IPphone and/or PDA.

In particular embodiments, user 48 may desire to be notified when a callis received at a phone associated with user 48 (e.g., office phone 51 aand/or endpoint 51 b). Thus, user 48 is notified about any call receivedat his office phone 51 a, as the call is received and while the officephone is ringing. Such notification may be received by user 48 atendpoint 51 b.

In accordance with another embodiment, as the call is being received atmultimedia server 42, multimedia server 42 may send a voice call,instant message, SMS text message and/or other type of message to theuser's phone or other associated endpoint, such as a PDA or PC,informing user 48 that a call is being received. Using the presenceinformation of the user, multimedia server 42 is able to find theendpoint or device via which the user is available, and send thenotification to this device. In response, user 48 may call multimediaserver 42 and may be identified by presence server 49 by his presence onthe phone or other device. In particular embodiments, multimedia server42 may notify the user through IM or SMS text messaging to a cell phone,that a call is being received and may invite the user to call intomultimedia server 42.

User 48 may move freely between various endpoints during the course ofthe day, such as the user's office phone, cell phone and home phone,re-establishing his presence on any desired endpoint. The presence onthe new device is recognized by multimedia server 42, and the user isassociated with his presence. Using this association, the call and theIM or other notification messages may be routed to user 48 while freeingthe user to roam freely between his endpoint devices. In one embodiment,the system may send multiple identical notifications to a given user;for example, one may be sent to the user's SMS connection and another tothe user's IM connection.

FIG. 3 illustrates a method for communicating messages, in accordancewith a particular embodiment of the present invention. The method beginsat step 100, where a request for connection with a called party (e.g.,user 48) associated with a second client (e.g., IP Phone 51 a) isreceived from a calling party (e.g., user 60) associated with a firstclient (e.g., endpoint 62). For example, the calling party may be usinga telephone to place a telephone call to a called party, while thecalled party is away from his office. In the past, this would typicallyresult in the calling party being transferred to a voicemail systemassociated with the called party. The calling party would have theoption to leave a message, or hang up. In either case, the called partywould not be aware that the calling party was attempting to reach him,unless and until the called party checked his voicemail for messages,and/or received a caller ID history of incoming calls.

In accordance with the present invention, the called party may benotified that a request for connection (e.g., a telephone call) has beenreceived, while the calling party is still on the line. For example, thecalled party may be “logged on” to a presence server, and the presenceserver may know how to reach the called party, using a third client(e.g., endpoint 51 b), other than the office phone of the called party.In accordance with a particular embodiment of the present invention, thethird client may be a text enabled client (e.g., an Instant Messagingclient) of the called party. In this embodiment, the presence server maytransmit a message to the called party that a calling party is trying tocontact the called party, quickly after the request for connection isreceived. For example, while the calling party is still listening toring tones, the presence server may notify the called party of thetelephone call, using a text message transmitted to the third client.

In accordance with a particular embodiment of the present invention, thecalled party may receive a message that an incoming call was received atthe called party's work telephone. In another embodiment, the messagemay include the telephone number of the calling party, to give thecalled party an idea of the identity of the calling party. In stillanother embodiment, the message may include the name of the person ororganization associated with the first client. Such information may beobtained using “Caller ID” type information recorded by the telephonenetwork operator (e.g., telephone company). Alternatively, the presenceserver may use the telephone number of the calling party to find theidentity of the calling party by searching stored contacts of the calledparty (e.g., a Microsoft Outlook™ account of the called party) or adirectory (e.g., Microsoft Active Directory™).

Accordingly, soon after the telephone call is received, and while thecalling party is listening to ring tones (and unaware that the calledparty is away from his office) the called party may receive a message,such as “a call from Joe Smith (214) 555-1212 is being received at yourwork telephone.” In response to this message, the called party may begiven the opportunity to provide connection processing instructions tothe presence server. For example, using DTMF keys of the third client,the called party may instruct the presence server regarding how toprocess the request for connection.

In accordance with a particular embodiment of the present invention, thecalled party may be given several options for processing the request forconnection. One option may be to simply allow the calling party to betransferred to the voicemail account of the called party. The calledparty may use this option if the called party is involved in animportant meeting, or if the called party does not desire to communicatewith the calling party (perhaps based upon the identity of the callingparty) at that time.

The called party may also be given the option to transfer the callingparty to another voice enabled client of the called party. For example,the called party may instruct the presence server to connect the callingparty with a cell phone of the called party. Similarly, since manydevices available today include both text and voice messagecapabilities, the called party may instruct the presence server toestablish a voice connection between the first client and the thirdclient. This feature allows the called party to selectively interceptand reroute calls intended for his work telephone, to another device, orclient, of the called party.

In accordance with a particular embodiment of the present invention, thecalled party may use an IM device to issue call control commands thatgovern the routing of the incoming call. In this embodiment, multimediaserver 42 includes a bridge/translator that receives text commands fromthe called party regarding the desired treatment of the call. The bridgein multimedia server 42 translates these text commands to the specificcall control protocol used in the system (e.g., SIP, H.323, ISDN, etc.)and uses these commands to control the routing of the call.

Accordingly, the called party establishes IM communication with a proxyof the multimedia server. The proxy communicates on behalf of the calledparty. The proxy may also establish a voice communication path betweenthe calling party and the proxy. The called party may also use the proxyto control the call, using IM. The called party may use a particularindicator to notify the proxy that a call processing instruction willfollow. In accordance with a particular embodiment, the indicator may bea “!c” typed at the beginning of an IM, that indicates a call processinginstruction will follow.

The called party may also be given the opportunity to establish a textconnection with the calling party. For example, if the called party isattending a meeting or seminar, and a voice conversation is notpractical, the called part may instruct the presence server to allow thecalled party to communicate using text messaging. In this embodiment,the calling party may still communicate using voice communication (i.e.,a hybrid voice/text communication session), or the calling party mayelect to communicate with the called party using a two-way textcommunication path, if the first client is text enabled.

Assuming that the first client is a standard POTS telephone without textmessaging capability, a multimedia server may use text-to-speech (TTS)and/or speech-to-text (STT) to accommodate a communication sessionbetween the calling party and the called party.

If the called party instructs the presence server that the called partywould prefer to communicate using text messaging, the presence servermay notify the calling party that the calling party is only available tocommunicate using text, and the presence server may give the option tothe calling party to communicate using text or voice. If the callingparty elects to use voice, the presence server may act as anintermediary, and: (i) translate text received from the called party tospeech, and play the speech over the telephone of the calling party;and/or (ii) translate speech received from the calling party to text,and display such text to the called party. In this embodiment, thecalling party may be advised to speak slowly to facilitate therecognition of the spoken message by the STT.

An embodiment is also envisioned wherein the called party may elect tolisten to the voice of the calling party (if the third client is able toplay voice communications), but respond using text. This scenario may beused where the calling party is in a meeting, but has a text messagingclient with voice capabilities, and the called party can discreetlylisten to the calling party using, for an example, an earpiece.

At step 104, the connection processing request is received from thecalled party. As discussed above, the connection processing request maybe one or more of a number of alternatives selected by the called party.Although all such alternatives cannot be described fully herein, a listof representative examples are described below, and include:

-   -   Transfer the calling party to voicemail.    -   Transfer the calling party to voicemail, and convert the        contents of any voicemail to text and transmit the text to the        third client approximately in real-time.    -   Transfer the calling party to voicemail, convert the voicemail        to text, and transmit the text message to the third client after        the calling party disconnects.    -   Establish a two-way voice connection between the first client        and a third client.    -   Establish a two-way voice connection between the first client        and another client selected by the called party.    -   Establish a hybrid voice/text communication channel in which the        called party listens to voice communications of the calling        party, but responds using text.

Establish a hybrid voice/text communication channel in which the calledparty receives voice messages converted to text, and the called partyresponds using text.

Receive, on the third client, an IM alert regarding a call from thefirst client to the second client. Use the third client to redirect thecall to a fourth client. This embodiment allows the called party to usethe IM to communicate via hybrid voice/text with the calling party. Thenthe IM is used to redirect the call to another endpoint. One aspect ofthis embodiment is the fact that the called party can use the IM forcommunication to the called party and to the multimedia server. Forexample, by starting a line with a special tag “!c” it signifies to theIM server that this line is a command for the multimedia server ratherthan a message that needs to be TTS to the called party.

-   -   Establish a hybrid voice/text communication channel with the        calling party. In this embodiment, the calling party        communicates using voice. The multimedia server receives the        voice of the calling party, and coverts it to text, then        delivers the text message to the called party.

The called party responds using text. The multimedia server converts thetext to speech, and delivers the voice message to the calling party.

Next, at step 106, the presence server processes the request forconnection in accordance with the connection processing instructionreceived from the called party. Assuming that the calling party iscommunicating using a POTS telephone, and the called party elects toreceive and transmit text messages only, the communication session mayproceed as described immediately below.

After notifying the calling party that the called party will communicateusing text, the presence server may solicit a message from the callingparty. The presence server may receive the voice message from thecalling party, convert it to a text message, and deliver the textmessage to the called party, approximately in real-time (taking intoaccount the time it takes to receive, convert to text, and transmit thetext to the third client).

While the called party is receiving the converted text message, orshortly after receiving the entire text message, the called party maybegin typing a response. In a particular embodiment of the presentinvention, the presence server may receive the text message responsefrom the called party, approximately in real-time. In this embodiment,the multimedia server may be configured to convert the text message tospeech, and transmit the message to the calling party as it is beingreceived, approximately in real-time. In another embodiment, themultimedia server may transmit converted voice messages to the callingparty only as full sentences or full paragraphs are received from thecalling party. In yet another embodiment, the multimedia server maytransmit the converted voice message to the calling party, only afterreceiving an indication from the called party that the response iscomplete.

In yet another embodiment, the text message from the called party willnot be delivered to the multimedia server until the called party iscomplete with the response. In this embodiment, the called party will beallowed to type, modify and/or edit the response, and send the textmessage to the multimedia server when it is complete. In this manner, itmay be similar to typing a response to a text message or email, andpressing “send” when the message is complete.

In accordance with a particular embodiment of the present invention, themultimedia server may be configured to enhance the converted voicemessage before it is delivered to the calling party. For example,depending upon whether the called party is male or female, themultimedia server may incorporate feminine or masculine characteristics,respectively, into the voice message that is delivered to the callingparty. In another embodiment, the multimedia server may include adatabase that stores voice characteristics associated with the calledparty, to allow the converted voice message to approximately mimic thecalled party's voice. This feature lends more authenticity to the voicemessage that is transmitted to the calling party. The voicecharacteristics stored by the multimedia server may be sophisticatedvoice spectrum characteristics that allow the presence server toapproximately reproduce the voice, tones, and/or inflection common tothe voice communications of the called party. Sophisticated softwareassociated with the multimedia server may also be used to generateauthentic tones and voice inflections based upon punctuation, words andother content associated with the text message received from the calledparty.

In accordance with another embodiment of the present invention, thecalling party may be provided with the ability to convey messages to atext-based client of the called party, using DTMF keys. Accordingly, auser of any telephone, including POTS telephones may communicate text,numeric, and/or voice communications to a called party that is using atext-based client.

The teachings of the present invention further allow a called party toemploy rule-based logic to define the interaction of the calling party,and a text-based client of the called party. For example, the calledparty may predefine his interaction with a multimedia server and/or theinteraction between the calling party and the multimedia server. In oneembodiment, the called party and/or an administrator of the multimediaserver may configure the multimedia server to handle particularcommunications in a particular manner. If an urgent message is receivedfor the called party, the message may be automatically forwarded to thecalled party, or the called party may be notified as the urgent messageis being received. In this embodiment, all non-urgent messages maysimply be forwarded to a voicemail account or handled otherwise.

In a similar manner, the called party and/or the administrator mayconfigure the multimedia server to locate and notify the called party,and/or forward messages intended for the called party, to the calledparty, only if the message is received from a predetermined list ofindividuals. In this example, the called party may configure themultimedia server to notify the called party if a message is received(or is being received) from the called party's wife or other familymember, supervisor at work, and/or any other individual that the calledparty would like to have “priority” in the handling of requests forconnections and/or messages intended for the called party.

Existing voicemail systems often ask the calling party to specify thepriority of a message after the message has been recorded. In accordancewith the teachings of the present invention, and in order to facilitatethe rule-based logic discussed above, the system of the presentinvention may prompt the caller to specify the priority of the message,as or soon after the request for connection is received (but before themessage is completed), such that the rule-based logic discussed abovemay be employed for determining how to process the incoming request forconnection and/or associated messages from the calling party.

It will be recognized by those of ordinary skill in the art that theteachings of the present invention are not limited to requests forconnection and/or messages received from voice-enabled clients, only.For example, the multimedia server may be configured to receiveelectronic mail messages intended for the called party. The electronicmail messages may be converted to voice, and delivered to a voice-basedclient of the called party. Alternatively, if the called party is inpossession of a text-based client, the electronic mail message may beforwarded to such client. In order to accommodate the rule-based logicdiscussed above, the multimedia server may take into account a“priority” of the e-mail message (e.g., urgent, or non-urgent).Furthermore, the multimedia server may take into account the sendingparty of the electronic mail message, in order to determine whether ornot to alert the called party of the message and/or deliver the message(in voice and/or text format) to the called party.

In accordance with the teachings of the present invention a system andmethod are provided whereby a voicemail system may be enhanced with apresence proxy, for its user community. Another example of the operationof such a system is described more fully below.

A caller from any phone calls a person who is away from his office. Thecaller is transferred to the enterprise voicemail system that plays thetypical prompt “Hello, this is Joe. I'm away from the office, pleaseleave a message at the sound of the beep”. While the prompt is beingplayed, a presence proxy server determines if Joe is logged on to an IMenabled device. If Joe is not logged on to such a device, the systemcontinues to record a voicemail message for Joe.

However, if Joe is logged-on to an IM device, a connection (as detailedbelow) is established between the caller and Joe's IM system, enablingJoe and the caller to exchange information. Joe's corporate directoryhelps resolve the mapping between Joe's extension and his IMaddress/user name.

In accordance with a particular embodiment, when a voicemail message isleft for Joe, it is translated into text using speech recognition andrendered to Joe's IM client. In another embodiment, the caller can enterhis callback number via DTMF keys. In another embodiment, the system mayuse rule-based script, and decide to establish voice connectivitybetween the voicemail server and Joe's IM device.

The rules may be based on caller ID information, the capabilities ofJoe's IM device (e.g. whether it is voice enable), or Joe's willingnessto engage in a voice call at any particular time. For example, a user ina meeting may be willing to engage in a text IM messaging and not in avoice communication.

In yet another embodiment, the caller is queried whether the message isurgent, and the IM server is invoked only to convey urgent messages.This option can be configured as one of the rules described above.

If Joe elects to communicate via text, the voice messaging systemutilizes a TTS server to convey his message to the caller. To make thecommunication more authentic, the system stores Joe's voicecharacteristics in the directory. These parameters are applied to Joe'sTTS session at the TTS server and help convey Joe's message to thecaller with Joe's simulated voice.

In yet another embodiment, the integration between the multimedia serverand the IM proxy is used to expedite the delivery of urgent voicemailmessages to end users. In this embodiment, the system exploits the factthat users are not always logged-on to their electronic mail, but aretypically logged-on to their IM device. In this scenario, as the userreceives an urgent e-mail, the multimedia server invokes the IM proxy todetermine if the user is logged-on to his IM client. If he is, an IM issent to him alerting him that he has received an urgent e-mail. Similarto the aforementioned embodiment, the system can use script-based logicto enable the user to receive alerts when an e-mail from a specificperson or regarding a specific topic, arrives at his multimedia server.

In yet another embodiment, the proxy server is invoked as soon as thephone rings, before the call is transferred to the multimedia server.This makes it possible for Joe to be notified of an incoming call viaIM, and he can then decide whether or not to take the call via IM or letit roll over to the voicemail system.

Accordingly, the system and method of the present invention provide ameans to convert different types of media into IM messages (and IMmessages to multimedia communication) based on presence detection and aset of pre-defined rules that govern the behavior of interceptingincoming media and notifying the recipient. Also, means are provided forutilizing presence information and IM to alert users of incoming calls(ring via IM) and control/direct the flow of incoming calls.Accordingly, the user's availability to different forms of communicationwhile on IM is increased.

The teachings of the present invention also provide a system and methodfor accommodating real-time communication between a voicemail system anda calling party, and between the voicemail system and the called party.Typically, voicemail systems do not communicate anything other than aprerecorded message to either of the calling party, or the called party.In accordance with the present invention, the voicemail system iscommunicating real-time (approximately) information to the calling party(e.g., information received from the calling party), and communicatingreal-time (approximately) information to the called party (e.g.,information received from the calling party).

Although the present invention has been described in detail withreference to particular embodiments, it should be understood thatvarious other changes, substitutions, and alterations may be made heretowithout departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention.For example, although the present invention has been described withreference to a number of elements included within communication system30, these elements may be combined, rearranged or positioned in order toaccommodate particular routing architectures or needs. In addition, anyof these elements may be provided as separate external components tocommunication system 30 or each other where appropriate. The presentinvention contemplates great flexibility in the arrangement of theseelements as well as their internal components.

Numerous other changes, substitutions, variations, alterations andmodifications may be ascertained by those skilled in the art and it isintended that the present invention encompass all such changes,substitutions, variations, alterations and modifications as fallingwithin the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

1. A method for communicating messages, comprising: receiving, from afirst client associated with a calling party, a request for connectionwith a second client; notifying a called party associated with thesecond client that the request for connection was received, in responseto receiving the request for connection; receiving a connectionprocessing instruction from a third client associated with the calledparty; and processing the request for connection in accordance with theconnection processing instruction.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein theconnection processing instruction comprises an instruction from thecalled party to transfer the calling party to a voicemail messagingsystem associated with the called party.
 3. The method of claim 1,wherein the connection processing instruction comprises an instructionfrom the called party to establish a communication channel between thefirst client and the third client.
 4. The method of claim 1, wherein theconnection processing instruction comprises an instruction from thecalled party to establish a communication channel between the firstclient and a fourth client.
 5. The method of claim 3, wherein thecommunication channel comprises a two-way voice communication pathbetween the first client and the third client.
 6. The method of claim 1,wherein the connection processing instruction comprises an instructionfrom the called party to transfer the calling party to a voicemailaccount of the called party, and further comprising: transferring thecalling party to the voicemail account; converting the contents of anyvoicemail message left by the calling party to text; and transmittingthe text to the third client.
 7. The method of claim 6, wherein the textis transmitted to the third client approximately in real-time as thecalling party leaves the voicemail message.
 8. The method of claim 6,wherein the text is transmitted to the called party after the callingparty is complete with the voicemail message.
 9. The method of claim 1,further comprising establishing a hybrid voice/text communicationchannel in which the called party listens to voice communications fromthe calling party, and responds to the calling party using textmessages.
 10. The method of claim 1, further comprising establishing ahybrid voice/text communication channel in which the called partyreceives voice messages from the calling party that have been convertedto text, and the called party responds to the calling party using text.11. The method of claim 1, further comprising: notifying the callingparty that the called party will communicate with the calling partyusing a text messaging enabled client; receiving voice communicationfrom the first client; converting the voice communication to text; andcommunicating the text to the text messaging enabled client.
 12. Themethod of claim 11, wherein the third client comprises the textmessaging enabled client.
 13. The method of claim 11, furthercomprising: receiving at least a first text response to the voicecommunication; converting the first text response to a speech message;and communicating the speech message to the first client.
 14. The methodof claim 1, further comprising transmitting, to the first client, arequest for the calling party to assign a level of importance to thefirst request for connection prior to receiving a message from thecalling party that is intended for the called party.
 15. The method ofclaim 14, wherein the level of urgency is selected from a groupincluding an urgent designation and a non-urgent designation.
 16. Themethod of claim 15, further comprising transmitting the level of urgencyselected by the calling party, to the called party.
 17. The method ofclaim 13, wherein the level of importance is used in a rule-based systemto determine whether to forward the message to the called party.
 18. Themethod of claim 13, further comprising: determining at least one voicecharacteristic based upon an identity of the called party; andincorporating the at least one voice characteristic into the speechmessage.
 19. The method of claim 18, wherein the at least one voicecharacteristic is selected from a group including a male voice tone anda female voice tone.
 20. The method of claim 18, wherein the at leastone voice characteristic includes a voice spectrum associated with thecalled party, wherein the at least one voice characteristic is used toallow the speech message to approximately mimic the speaking voice ofthe called party.
 21. The method of claim 1, further comprising:determining called party communication instructions for processingincoming calls based upon rule-based logic for defining interactionbetween the calling party and a text enabled client of the called party;and wherein the rule-based logic is stored in a database prior toreceipt of the request for connection.
 22. The method of claim 1,further comprising transmitting, to the called party, informationregarding the request for connection.
 23. The method of claim 22,wherein the information regarding the request for connection includes atelephone number of the first client.
 24. The method of claim 22,wherein the information regarding the request for connection includes aname of the calling party.
 25. The method of claim 23, wherein theinformation regarding the request for connection includes a priorityassigned to the request for connection.
 26. A method for communicatingmessages, comprising: receiving, from a first client, a message intendedfor a second client associated with an intended recipient; and notifyingthe intended recipient via Instant Messaging that the message has beenreceived and stored, using a text messaging enabled third clientassociated with the intended recipient.
 27. The method of claim 26,wherein the message comprises a voicemail message.
 28. The method ofclaim 26, wherein the message comprises an electronic mail text message.29. A system for communicating messages, comprising: an interface beingoperable to receive, from a first client associated with a callingparty, a request for connection with a second client; a multimediaserver being operable to notify a called party associated with thesecond client that the request for connection was received, in responseto receiving the request for connection; the multimedia server beingfurther operable to receive a connection processing instruction viaInstant Messaging from a third client associated with the called party;and a processor being operable to process the request for connection inaccordance with the connection processing instruction.
 30. The system ofclaim 29, wherein the processor is further operable to establish acommunication channel between the first client and the third client. 31.The system of claim 30, wherein the processor comprises a bridge betweenfirst and second distinct communication modalities, the first modalitybeing voice and including voice protocols, the second modality beingInstant Messaging and including Instant Messaging protocols.
 32. Thesystem of claim 30, wherein the communication channel comprises atwo-way voice communication path between the first client and the thirdclient.
 33. The system of claim 29, further comprising: the multimediaserver being further operable to notify the calling party via InstantMessaging that the called party will communicate with the calling partyusing a text-messaging enabled client; the interface being furtheroperable to receive voice communication from the first client; theprocessor being further operable to convert the voice communication totext; and the multimedia server being further operable to communicatethe text to the text messaging enabled client.
 34. The system of claim33, further comprising: the multimedia server being further operable toreceive at least a first text response to the voice communication; theprocessor being further operable to convert the first text response to aspeech message; and the interface being further operable to communicatethe speech message to the first client.
 35. The system of claim 29,wherein the interface is further operable to transmit, to the firstclient, a request for the calling party to assign a level of urgency tothe first request for connection.
 36. The system of claim 35, whereinthe multimedia server is further operable to transmit the level ofurgency selected by the calling party, to the called party.
 37. Thesystem of claim 34, further comprising: a database being operable tostore a plurality of voice characteristics; wherein the processor isfurther operable to determine at least one voice characteristic basedupon an identity of the called party; and wherein the processor isfurther operable to incorporate the at least one voice characteristicinto the speech message.
 38. The system of claim 29, wherein theprocessor is further operable to determine called party communicationinstructions for processing incoming calls based upon rule based logicfor defining interaction between the calling party and a text-enabledclient of the called party; and a database being operable to store therule based logic prior to receipt of the request for connection.
 39. Thesystem of claim 29, wherein: the multimedia server is further operableto receive a call processing instruction from the called party, after afirst communication connection is established between the calling partyand the called party; and the processor is further operable to executethe call processing instruction.
 40. The system of claim 39, wherein thecall processing instruction comprises a request from the called party totransfer the communication connection to a fourth client, and theprocessor is further operable to establish a second communicationconnection between the first client and the fourth client.
 41. A systemfor communicating messages, comprising: an interface being operable toreceive, from a first client, a message intended for a second clientassociated with an intended recipient; and a multimedia server beingoperable to notify the intended recipient, via Instant Messaging, thatthe message has been received and stored, using a text messaging enabledthird client associated with the intended recipient.
 42. A system forcommunicating messages, comprising: means for receiving, from a firstclient associated with a calling party, a request for connection with asecond client; means for notifying a called party associated with thesecond client, via Instant Messaging, that the request for connectionwas received, in response to receiving the request for connection; meansfor receiving a connection processing instruction from a third clientassociated with the called party; and means for processing the requestfor connection in accordance with the connection processing instruction.43. The system of claim 41, further comprising: means for notifying thecalled party that the called party will communicate with the callingparty using a text messaging enabled client; means for receiving voicecommunication from the first client; means for converting the voicecommunication to text; and means for communicating the text to the textmessaging enabled client.
 44. The system of claim 43, furthercomprising: means for receiving at least a first text response to thevoice communication; means for converting the first text response to aspeech message; and means for communicating the speech message to thefirst client.
 45. The system of claim 42, further comprising: means fortransmitting, to the first client, a request for the calling party toassign a level of urgency to the first request for connection.
 46. Thesystem of claim 44, further comprising: means for determining at leastone voice characteristic based upon an identity of the called party;means for incorporating the at least one voice characteristic into thespeech message; and wherein the at least one voice characteristicincludes a voice spectrum associated with the called party, and whereinthe at least one voice characteristic is used to allow the speechmessage to approximately mimic the speaking voice of the called party.47. A system for communicating messages, comprising: means forreceiving, from a first client, a message intended for a second clientassociated with an intended recipient; and means for notifying theintended recipient, via Instant Messaging, that the message has beenreceived and stored, using a text-messaging enabled third clientassociated with the intended recipient.
 48. Software embodied in acomputer-readable medium, the computer-readable medium comprising codeoperable to: receive, from a first client associated with a callingparty, a request for connection with a second client; notify, viaInstant Messaging, a called party associated with the second client thatthe request for connection was received, in response to receiving therequest for connection; receive a connection processing instruction froma third client associated with the called party; and process the requestfor connection in accordance with the connection processing instruction.49. The medium of claim 48, wherein the code is further operable to:receive voice communication from the first client; convert the voicecommunication to text; and communicate the text to the text-messagingenabled client.
 50. The medium of claim 49, wherein the code is furtheroperable to: receive at least a first text response to the voicecommunication; convert the first text response to a speech message; andcommunicate the speech message to the first client.
 51. Softwareembodied in a computer-readable medium, the computer-readable mediumcomprising code operable to: receive, from a first client, a messageintended for a second client associated with an intended recipient; andnotify the intended recipient, via Instant Messaging, that the messagehas been received and stored, using a text-messaging enabled thirdclient associated with the intended recipient.